00:05Hi, I'm Allison Reed, a part of the Women's Cross Country Track Team here at Hofstra.
00:09At least that's what everybody knows me by. I'm also your Hofstra mascot, Kate.
00:14Nobody knew you were Kate for a pretty long time.
00:17Four years, nobody knew. My suite mates didn't know, teammates didn't know, and my coach didn't know.
00:23Nobody on campus knew.
00:24So we did a teaser video like a week before graduation, which just showed that I was graduating.
00:31And then we revealed my face in the video a day before graduation.
00:36I decked out my cap, four years, one secret, and we just did it on stage.
00:43And then I did a little dance on stage and that was it.
00:45So how many people throughout your four years became privy to your secret?
00:49My family, my mom and my three brothers.
00:52Obviously, the people that played Willie, who I can't mention.
00:56My backup, Kate.
00:57A few of the fitness center staff that helped me get in and out of the closet.
01:01And were also my handlers when we went to events.
01:04How did it feel that they were just as loyal to keeping your secret?
01:08I couldn't be any more grateful for them.
01:11That was one thing that I was really scared about, especially when more and more staff started coming in
01:16and more started like obviously graduating over the years.
01:19It's like hard because you're scared.
01:21Okay, they're graduated like they may leak something out, you know.
01:25So it was nice to see that they kept it as well because they knew how big of a deal
01:29this was to me
01:30and how much I loved it.
01:31So I'm very grateful for them.
01:34What was the most stressful part about keeping the secret, would you say?
01:38Probably like fibbing to my teammates.
01:42They would go to some of these games and events and I would have to say why I couldn't go
01:46and why I couldn't attend.
01:48Also just rushing around from events to class, going from class back to an event to work as Kate.
01:56So I think it was mostly just the lying portion or the fibbing portion of it all.
02:01This was the last thing I thought I would do.
02:03And I don't know, I just found an email, sent an email, then I ran into them in person.
02:08They said they weren't hiring at the time and they would get back to me if they needed someone.
02:13And eventually I got an email back and did my first one and I enjoyed it and I had fun
02:18and I keep telling my staff over and over again that I work with,
02:22I would do this even if there wasn't a pay.
02:25I love doing it so much and I enjoy putting smiles on people's faces.
02:29So I would do it for even without pay.
02:32I was interning as a student athletic trainer for a men's lacrosse year at Hofstra.
02:37I did it for the full year and I remember I would go to some of their games, help set
02:43up,
02:43and then I would be like, oh I can't stay for the full game.
02:47And I would leave and I would go dress up and be Kate at their game.
02:51And then I would text my head athletic trainer after,
02:54if you need somebody I can come back and help clean up if you need.
02:57So sometimes I would go back and help clean up or I would just be down for the day.
03:01But I would go back and forth between being their student athletic trainer and Kate.
03:07What was one of the most shocking things you heard about a teammate who was like,
03:10that was you the whole time?
03:11They were in, they're at CAA's in, I believe, Elon.
03:15And they were in the van when the video got posted on the,
03:18they were driving back to the hotel.
03:20And I get a phone call from them on FaceTime.
03:23And I picked up and they're screaming, that was you!
03:27And the video was like cutting out because they're on the road and it was just so cute.
03:31So I hung up, called them back and I'm like, yeah, that was me.
03:34And it was just, they were scrolling through their camera rolls
03:36after sending me clips and videos that they have,
03:39which was really neat to see.
03:40So I think, yeah, them FaceTiming me was the best part.
03:45You can do it at the door.
03:49You
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